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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The first round of the Artemis Offshore Academy selection trials came to an end at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy last week. A total of 33 candidates, hoping to be chosen for the Development Squad, were put through their paces under the scrutiny of the selection committee led by Artemis Offshore Academy Performance Director, John Thorn.

The selection committee will now have to make some difficult decisions over the next week, before the Development Squad is announced in early October. The selection trials activities were purposely kept secret so as to not give an advantage to candidates attending a later session, and the set tasks certainly delivered some surprises. Here is a short extract from an article written by Jocelyn Blériot, ex-editor of Course Au Large and Scuttlebutt contributor, who spent a day at the trials:

Those who thought that the tests would only involve a demonstration of boat handling skills were in for a surprise when they were greeted by the Artemis Offshore Academy staff at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Along with the ‘Dragon’s Den’-like test, candidates were soon discover that some rather creative minds had been at work, designing challenges that would test their teamwork capabilities, sense of initiative… or pure ‘MacGyveresque’ potential. For those who had to give their presentations after the fitness tests did not have their score hampered by a ‘straight-out-of-the-shower’ appearance. The jury were magnanimous!

You can read the full feature online at www.artemisoceanracing.com/academy

From UK waters off Weymouth to the Mediterranean where Artemis Figaro sailor Jonny Malbon is competing in the WOW Cap Istanbul race. The race is divided into five legs starting from Hyères (France) and finishing in Gallipoli (Istanbul). Jonny completed the first leg to Ragusa, Sicily last Friday in a time of 4 days, 12 hours, 11 minutes and 20 seconds, 16 hours and 51 minutes after the leg winner Gildas Morvan of France. It proved to be a testing and frustrating leg: “The first night was pretty windy and the aim was to get as far south as possible in the mistral with the routing suggesting we should gybe once the wind started to drop, and get over to the coast of Sardinia which meant crossing a light patch,” explained Jonny. “Everything was going to plan and just before dawn I gybed with a load of other boats. But after I gybed I just stopped in my own lovely private little wind hole! Even the guys close to me seemed to have their own band of pressure and kept moving. They came from underneath me, overtook me and I just sat there sails just flapping and feeling totally pretty helpless. It was hard to finish so far behind and watch your time clocking up. I was severely disappointed with the leg… But I have to put that behind me and got on with the next leg.” CLICK HERE to read Jonny’s full update online.

Jonny started leg 2 from Ragusa to Athens yesterday and is now over 100 miles into the 520-mile leg. You can follow Jonny’s progress including latest news and race tracking map online HERE